I'm a right hander. I use a lot of this wide serve in the ad-court that slices out wide to the right-handers BH. The technique is simple: With a conti-grip, toss the ball over your head, pronate just before the contact to full pronation, and hit through the left side of the ball like you were hitting a topspin 2nd serve, but with the racquet in a sort of side angle due to pronation. The flightpath is quite low, I can hit it with a high percentage, short and close to the BH sideline, and the bounce will further make the ball wider.

The pace is not that high, but I've still hit a couple of aces. But most importantly, I can force a lot of weak BH returns, and a lot of returners dump the ball to the net if I hit this serve into their body. And if the returner gets a clue of it, I can hit the next serve in the middle!

Is this serve an unorthodox one, or is there a name for it? Has any pro used this kind of a serve? Is it possible to hit with any real pace with the forearm pronated prior to contact?

I'm a right hander. I use a lot of this wide serve in the ad-court that slices out wide to the right-handers BH. The technique is simple: With a conti-grip, toss the ball over your head, pronate just before the contact to full pronation, and hit through the left side of the ball like you were hitting a topspin 2nd serve, but with the racquet in a sort of side angle due to pronation. The flightpath is quite low, I can hit it with a high percentage, short and close to the BH sideline, and the bounce will further make the ball wider.

The pace is not that high, but I've still hit a couple of aces. But most importantly, I can force a lot of weak BH returns, and a lot of returners dump the ball to the net if I hit this serve into their body. And if the returner gets a clue of it, I can hit the next serve in the middle!

Is this serve an unorthodox one, or is there a name for it? Has any pro used this kind of a serve? Is it possible to hit with any real pace with the forearm pronated prior to contact?

On the Ad side, I often serve exactly where you're talking about. Having the ball either hit the far right corner of the service box, or perhaps a tad up the alley line. With enough pace or spin on it, it's a very difficult serve to return.

I think it's very effective, and one of my go-to places for my first serve. However, I don't put any spin on it when I try, I hit it flat.

If it's working for you, then by all means don't change it. But if you find it's a bit too much to work out the spin, perhaps try for the same place, but without any spin. Sometimes flat serves are a little easier. As long as your ball toss is sufficiently out in front, and you are driving up with your legs so you can really hit through the ball, you should be able to clear the net.

Lastly, if you find that you are hitting the net often, it's probably because you're dropping your tossing arm/shoulder prematurely. Try to keep that arm up in the air as long as possible.

I used to hit this as my main serve but with a frying pan grip. Didnt believe my coach that continental was best and stayed with frying pan until I saw juniors in under 14 tournament hitting with continental for serve.

I used to hit this as my main serve but with a frying pan grip. Didnt believe my coach that continental was best and stayed with frying pan until I saw juniors in under 14 tournament hitting with continental for serve.

It is easier to hit with a frying pan grip on this serve. There are some old club players who have been doing this successfully for a long long time because their "technically wrong" frying-pan-reverse-slice serves are unreturnable compared to the technically correct serve of their opponents.

Yeah, it's like the serve Tursunov used. But I don't hit it all that hard. I just use it mostly as a 2nd serve (3.0-3.5 level).

Why would this harm the shoulder?

It is natural for your shoulder to internally rotate when your arm extends. On this serve, you initiate the internal rotation before your arm extends up to contact. This will lead to shoulder impingement. Assuming you aren't swinging super fast, you won't feel it right away, but it will still place stress on the joint.

It is natural for your shoulder to internally rotate when your arm extends. On this serve, you initiate the internal rotation before your arm extends up to contact. This will lead to shoulder impingement. Assuming you aren't swinging super fast, you won't feel it right away, but it will still place stress on the joint.

Ok, seems logical. I should take a vid to see what really happens. Shadowswinging, it seems that I rotate my upper body a lot to the left just prior to contact.

The Pros hit reverse slice with good pace on a semiroutine basis. But then again, they're Pros, they've got nothing to do all day but practice tennis with the best coaches on the planet.

They do?

I watch a fair amount of professional tennis and I almost never see this shot. Seriously, whenever it is brought up, the only video shown is of Tursonov hitting it during an exhibition match. I've watched Tursonov play an ATP match and I don't think I saw it once.

I watch a fair amount of professional tennis and I almost never see this shot. Seriously, whenever it is brought up, the only video shown is of Tursonov hitting it during an exhibition match. I've watched Tursonov play an ATP match and I don't think I saw it once.

IMO Roger is the best at it. He uses it commonly in the ad court. Here is his technique in HD slow motion: